The present invention has to do with the technology for preparing hydrocarbon liquids for their further processing. More immediately, the invention has to do with a method and a device for preliminary conditioning of hydrocarbon liquids before their subsequent fractionating, produced by means of processing them with the aid of mechanical effects. The term "conditioning" as used herein refers to the imparting to the raw material physical properties that are favorable with a view to its further processing.
From the current state of technology we are broadly familiar with the methods of preliminarily conditioning a hydrocarbon liquid raw material prior to its fractionating, produced by means of processing it with the aid of mechanical effects, specifically, by means of preliminary filtration from undesirable impurities. Such processing facilitates the process of subsequent fractionating, but has no effect on the physical properties of the initial hydrocarbon raw material or semi-finished product and on the outcome of the intermediate or final fractions.
Also well-known at the current level of technology is a method of processing a liquid by means of mechanical vibrations (International Patent Registration No. PCT/RU92/00194 of 1992), that involves the injection of the liquid to be processed into the cavity of a revolving rotating wheel; the expulsion of the liquid from the cavity of the rotating wheel through a series of outlet apertures on its peripheral cylindrical surface; the injection of the liquid into a cavity of the stator through at least one inlet aperture in the concentric surface of the stator lying as close as possible to the peripheral cylindrical surface of the rotating wheel; during which there occur periodic abrupt interruptions in the flows of the liquid emanating from the outlet apertures of the rotating wheel, that serve to activate or stimulate mechanical vibrations in the liquid in the sonic or ultrasonic range.
The device for implementing the described method for processing a liquid contains a rotor, including a shaft located in the bearings; a rotating wheel that is connected to the shaft and made in the form of a disk with a peripheral annular wall having cylindrical exterior and interior surfaces in which are located a series of outlet apertures for passing the liquid, which outlet apertures are uniformly arranged along the periphery; a stator in which the rotating wheel revolves or spins and that has an inlet aperture for feeding in the liquid and an outlet aperture for expelling the liquid, and two concentric walls that from both sides come as close as possible to the peripheral annular wall of the rotating wheel; in both concentric walls of the stator are located at least one aperture for the passing of the liquid, which aperture is lying on a plane with the positioning of the series of apertures of the rotating wheel.
As applied to hydrocarbon liquids the method and apparatus for processing the liquids described above has no effect on their physical properties, with the exception of a certain heating thereof, nor on the intermediate or final products of the subsequent fractionating.